Fake grass + dogs

bugslet

I've been struggling with what to replace my totally destroyed lawn, aka mud patch. It boiled down to hard landscaping, which given that it is next to a patio area, I feel is not particularly attractive. So I'm leaning towards fake grass.

Has anyone any thoughts /experience? I believe hosing down with diluted Jeyes fluid is helpful and a rather ewww question, if it's a squishy poo moment, is it still a case of hosing down?

If anyone has any other thoughts , shout out. I've abandoned the gravel idea!

Riceypuds22

We have had fake grass for a year now, with two large dogs, and apart from the really long hot dry spell in the summer haven't had any problems with smells. A goiod water with biological washing powder added to the water cured the smell as apparently the biological bits break down the enzymes in the urine. Squishy messes are also dealt with in the same manner. It has been a godsend no muddy paw prints EVER!!

Red-Squirrel_2

It’s not great environmentally, for birds, insects, water drainage etc.

Is a new lawn not an option? You could have a semi-wild meadow type lawn that looks after itself more, with wildflowers etc.

https://theecologist.org/2015/apr/27/nearby-wild-how-i-turned-my-lawn-mini-meadow

Broadyx

We got fake grass in August 2017 and have 2 large dogs. It has been the best decision we have ever made.
Unfortunately Red-Squirrel, we didn't have the option for a lawn, we tried 3 times since 2014 to have lawn relaid, including digging deep into the ground to re-do the layers - hardcore, sand, drainage, and it still bogged for the whole winter
If we could have had a real lawn then we would have done, but we have built large raised beds so we can have some 'pretty' in the garden and we have loads of wildlife/insects in the garden in these sections.

We disinfect the grass whenever necessary with some stuff we buy off Amazon and lasts for ages, and yes if you cannot pick up the 'mess' then you can hose it into the ground.

Our dogs used to go into the garden and come back muddier than if they had been on a walk - we can now let them out all year round and all we get is wet foot prints on the kitchen floor

hollydays

I used to scrub one of my paths with jeyes fluid and after a year it started killing off and pretty wild fliers that were browning around the paving ie it kills everything in its reach

bugslet

Riceypuds22 wrote: »

We have had fake grass for a year now, with two large dogs, and apart from the really long hot dry spell in the summer haven't had any problems with smells. A goiod water with biological washing powder added to the water cured the smell as apparently the biological bits break down the enzymes in the urine. Squishy messes are also dealt with in the same manner. It has been a godsend no muddy paw prints EVER!!

Good tip re the washing powder, thank you

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

It’s not great environmentally, for birds, insects, water drainage etc.

Is a new lawn not an option? You could have a semi-wild meadow type lawn that looks after itself more, with wildflowers etc.

https://theecologist.org/2015/apr/27/nearby-wild-how-i-turned-my-lawn-mini-meadow

No, a new lawn would end up exactly like the old lawn, only faster. New large dog arriving at the weekend, so destruction level multiplied by 2! When I had 6 small dogs, they didn't churn the lawn up, but one large one destroyed it over a period of two months.

My side, front and top level of the garden is gardened for wildlife, I've dug a pond, researched plants and created (if I say so myself:o) a pretty good wildlife habitat. I've replace the lawn with part paving and gravel, but that is not working really. Fake grass is not my choice, but logical.

Broadyx wrote: »

We got fake grass in August 2017 and have 2 large dogs. It has been the best decision we have ever made.
Unfortunately Red-Squirrel, we didn't have the option for a lawn, we tried 3 times since 2014 to have lawn relaid, including digging deep into the ground to re-do the layers - hardcore, sand, drainage, and it still bogged for the whole winter
If we could have had a real lawn then we would have done, but we have built large raised beds so we can have some 'pretty' in the garden and we have loads of wildlife/insects in the garden in these sections.

We disinfect the grass whenever necessary with some stuff we buy off Amazon and lasts for ages, and yes if you cannot pick up the 'mess' then you can hose it into the ground.

Our dogs used to go into the garden and come back muddier than if they had been on a walk - we can now let them out all year round and all we get is wet foot prints on the kitchen floor

Yep, mud from skirting board to about 2' up the wall - aaargh!.

Thanks hollydays, I think I'll go with either washing powder of some of the stuff from Amazon ( I know the stuff you mean Broadyx).

sheramber

Many people in the 'dog world' have artificial grass and love it. You do need to make sure the ground is prepared thoroughly and it is laid properly.